Dinner

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. I slowly walked around the old rusted gate, trying to get a better look inside.The clouds are full tonight and a light drizzle begins. I definitely don’t remember a candle being lit ever in that cabin, could it be another survivor? The grass was cold and wet against my ankles as my curiosity pushes me forward. Every night for months I’ve walked the perimeter looking for signs of life after the blast. This is the first time I’ve found anything concrete. This is supposed to be a dead zone, and it isn’t the only one out there. After The Great Voltaic War, cities and towns are so rare that the majority of us have given up hope in finding one. I was a scout for a small team of survivors, out searching for food and supplies. Moving closer to the cabin, to get a better view from the old worn window. Someone or something was definitely inside. I never thought the day would come, I haven’t met anyone new in over three years. After the EMP blasts billions of lives were lost world wide. Everything was gone, there were miles of abandoned homes, schools and businesses. The EMP bombs managed to take out every single grid on the planet. I bet this old cabin didn’t even notice it happened.

I like to think back to the times before the planet blackout, when it was only scary to venture in certain areas or certain neighborhoods. Now the whole world is a scary place to live, no one can escape the void. Machines are useless. Every technical advancement of the 21st century is now just a memoir to yesteryear. We, the last human survivors, are forced to live like cavemen.

Slowly walking up to the window, I steal a peek inside. There are four placemats on the table next to a burning candle, and three chairs. Wait three chairs, and four table settings; where’s the fourth? As I peer further into the darkness I see the missing chair occupied with a big dark shadow looming and hunched over looking directly at me. It’s a trap! All of a sudden everything goes black as fear courses through my veins. Compelled by the flight response yet ironically my feet turn into cement. There’s a sharp pain to the back of my head and my eyelids become so heavy they’re impossible to keep open. Then silence. Being knocked unconscious is almost never satisfying unless you haven’t slept in days, and even then it’s only a slight recharge. Pain shoots from my shoulders to my neck with every breath I take. Something isn’t right. Why am I not touching anything, suspended in the air three feet off the ground, with giant meat hooks digging deep into my shoulders. Blood is pouring from the wounds in my shoulders and trickling to the floor. Looking at the pool of coagulated blood I’ve been here a while. Through my panic I muster what energy I have left. I struggle to free myself but it’s pointless. Skewered and afraid my mind goes into a frenzy. What the hell is going on? Why am I hanging like a rack of meat just ready to be smoked? Who did this? I have so many things going through my head. The nightmarish thoughts come in so fast they trip over themselves before I can even begin to formulate answers.

Daylight is creeping through the small cracks in the wall and by the door. Every passing minute illuminates the room to reveal things the darkness concealed. The pain is making me light-headed, I need to get off these hooks before I bleed out. All of a sudden, the door bursts open and a giant menacing figure walks inside the small room. The man's body was covered with scars and stitches. He is wearing a mask made from the face of a wolf. The old shaggy mask is now all worn and torn around the edges giving the appearance of a deranged animal with rabies. My mouth is dry and the blood loss has made me weak. The giant of a man stands in front me with his hands reaching out to grab me. This may be my chance at escaping this cursed cabin. He lifts me from the hooks and drops me to the floor. The beast of man kicks me and yells “Hungry”. This is the moment I knew, there is no way out of this. The Voltaic War brought the worst out in the world, and the people who are starving show the worst of humanity. Without food or hunting skills many people eat whatever becomes available, even if that includes other human beings. Today I am on the dinner menu.

Shit, how did I get into this mess? Gathering all the strength I could manage to muster, I push myself off the ground, only to be kicked back down. My ribs crack from the blow and I gasp for air in excruciating pain. Blood drips into my eyes, yet through the red veil I spot something on the floor. It’s an old rusty nail only a few inches within my reach, I take a deep breath and reach for it. Adrenaline courses through my veins at the thought of possibly escaping. I’m out of time, I could smell the wood burning in the old stove. The flames appear to be dancing as their shadows flicker on the floor. It’s a celebration to welcome my flesh to the frying pan. I stretch out as far as I can, grabbing the nail and sliding it between my fingers. The giant grabs my feet, yanking me closer to him. “Eat” the big man screams in my face, spraying saliva all over me, while staring straight into my eyes.

The giant grabs my left wrist tightly, and my right hand comes around like a lightning bolt as I punch in the rusty nail deep into the giant’s neck. Repeatedly I stab his throat until the enormous body stops writhing on top of me. All of a sudden the giant jerked, his huge body being lifted off me. Oh, thank God, for reinforcements, Eric was a site for sore eyes. “Hey, looks like you needed a hand.” Eric said. “I was just about to make my move.” I replied. “Of course you were.” Eric responded jokingly. That was a close one, these scouting missions were becoming more and more dangerous. My colony was about 2 miles south, it was always safe to have your back to the ocean or the sea. We found duct tape and rope outside the cabin in a small storage shed. The bare cabinets only provided a can of goods or two and half empty bottled water, there were, however, jars with old rotten body parts from several different animals as well as human parts. Eric and I secured the body in the sturdiest blanket we could find. The trip back wasn’t so bad. I hadn't gone a full 24 hours yet, the sun was setting fast, and I could smell the herbs and spices being prepared for the evening meal. As we approached the tall iron fence, we were greeted by the rest of the team. Most survivors were happy to make it back alive, not only did we make it back, patting the blanket with the huge meanancing dead body, we also bought dinner.